Monday 13 June 2011 19.20 EDT
First published on Monday 13 June 2011 19.20 EDT

In the early 80s, "indie" had meant any music released and distributed independently of the major record labels. After June 1986, the word came to be associated with underpowered guitar music made by wheyfaced, middle-class, white people. The cause? The C86 cassette, sold through mail order by the NME, which gathered together the year's leading indie contenders, largely wheyfaced, middle-class, white people making underpowered guitar music.